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Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com “You left me here like a chalk outline” – the chorus to the first single off of Three Days Grace latest disc ‘Transit of Venus’ rang out almost prophetic in nature as the band took the stage to ravage a rock-hungry New England crowd on a freezing February evening in Lowell, Mass., on Wednesday (Feb. 20). Shortly before the co-headlining tour with Shinedown kicked off, former Three Days Grace frontman Adam Gontier unceremoniously up and left the band without much notice, leaving them in a bit of a bind. Luckily, the music genes seem run deep in bassist Brad Walst’s family and he was able to recruit his brother, My Darkest Days frontman Matt Walst, to fill in on the trek. While this left Matt with some large shoes to fill and certainly sky high expectations, he seems to have settled into the role as the (temporary?) Three Days Grace vocalist with ease. The band erupted onto the stage looking as if they just crawled out of the wreckage of a post-apocalyptic showdown. With guns blazing in the form of behemoth beams of pyro, the band certainly showed no signs of only having recruited their singer a month ago, they played like a well-oiled machine. With one of the best bass faces in the business, Brad Walst performs alongside guitarist Barry Stock and drummer Neil Sanderson as seasoned vets on the stage. And while Matt Walst may be seeing some of the largest crowds he’s seen throughout his young career, you’d never know it. It’s hard to deny that many bands are defined by their lead singer and vocalwise, Walst’s voice has a lower register and overall sounds a lot cleaner than Gontier’s. There’s a lot less grit and grime and a bit more clarity fueled by his tenacity to deliver the songs in a manner where they still sound familiar. Of course, Gontier’s gritty vocals complement the often angst-ridded lyrics of Three Days Grace songs, but judging by the reaction of the crowd, Matt Walst was accepted with open arms. While the future of Three Days Grace seems a bit unclear at the moment, the band has truly embraced the rebellious spirit of rock and punched it into high gear to move forward wherever their path may take them. Shinedown were up next, starting off their set with a bit of a surprise. Drummer Barry Kerch walked onto stage solo and took his place behind the kit. As the music for their song ‘Enemies’ engulfed the arena, fans were searching to see where it was coming from. They only had to look back to the mixing board to see a separate smaller stage where vocalist Brent Smith, guitarist Zach Myers and bassist Eric Bass were getting the night started, rocking their hearts out. Halfway through the song, the three darted through the crowd and back to the main stage for a proper introduction to the near capacity venue. With something that has become part of a ritual at any Shinedown show, Smith encouraged fans to say hello to the people around them, engage a bit, and just have a good time throughout the night. It’s this all for one and one for all vibe that provides a lot of the backbone to their latest disc ‘Amaryllis’ and fuels such a solid connection between the band and their fans. Decked out head to toe in formal attire and looking like they’re possibly in the best shape of their lives, the sharp-dressed men of Shinedown didn’t let formality cloud their vision of getting down and dirty and delivering the best rock show in town. With a set that showcased their latest disc while still offering up some of the biggest hits of their career throughout, fans soaked up a retrospective of Shinedown’s full discography spanning from 2003’s ‘Leave a Whisper’ to their latest single ‘I’ll Follow You.” One thing Shinedown has mastered is seamlessly in a live environment is transitioning from uptempo rockers to more heartfelt ballads without losing energy along the way. This is something that has clearly come from years of experience. There’s a lot of fun going on up there too. Between Smith striking rockstar worthy poses centerstage, Myers and Bass swapping sides of the stage to say hi to the fans sitting on the sides, and Kerch’s hair flying to the beat of his own drum, the guys in Shinedown obviously love what they do, and that kind of infectious energy is the permeating kind. Although it seemed that their time onstage felt a bit short — Shinedown fans would probably feel that way if the set spanned three hours – the band delivered a jam-packed set that featured a slew of familiar chart-topping hits. Boom! P.O.D. got the night started with a short set that featured hit tunes like ‘Alive’ and ‘Youth of a Nation.’ Before their time was over, frontman Sonny Sandoval jumped off the stage and right into the fray to visit the fans in the front row and sing a song with them. After their hiatus, it’s great to see P.O.D. back in their element. It’s obvious that’s where they are at their best, so get there early to check them out! The Shinedown, Three Days Grace, P.O.D. tour continues through the end of March, check out all the remaining dates here . Photos of Shinedown, Three Days Grace + P.O.D. in Lowell, Mass.: Shinedown: Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Three Days Grace: Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com P.O.D.: Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com

Ethan Miller, Getty Images The recent exit of Three Days Grace singer Adam Gontier from the group shocked many in the music industry, but probably no one more than the rest of his bandmates. After offering a very brief statement on Gontier’s exit and revealing that My Darkest Days frontman Matt Walst would be filling in on their upcoming tour with Shinedown, more and more details have begun to leak out. Initially it was stated that a “health issue” was part of the reason for Gontier’s sudden exit , but the vocalist later told fans that he had not suffered a relapse in his sobriety and that he had decided the time had come to “evolve on his own terms.” For their part, Three Days Grace issued another statement after the initial posting stating that they were shocked to hear the news, but were committed to their tour and still felt a passion for what they were doing. Not soon after his exit, it was revealed that Gontier was planning a solo show at a New York City benefit on Jan. 17, which raised a few more eyebrows. Having some time to deal with the aftermath of Gontier’s exit, the group has decided to let fans in on the timeline of the singer’s departure and today (Jan. 16) offered a Facebook posting with more intimate details about the split. It reads as follows: It had been our desire to keep an internal band matter just that, internal. However, after public statements by Adam we feel the need to give our fans the facts. Here’s the exact timeline of events over the past few weeks. On December 21, 2012, Neil and Brad (via email), our manager and business manager (via federal express) received a letter from Adam’s lawyer stating, “Please be advised effective immediately Adam is terminating his involvement with the band Three Days Grace. Adam has been wrestling with a health issue, outlined in the attached letter (a doctor’s letter dated December 14), which would have precluded him from touring with the band in 2013 and he wants the group to continue moving forward as they see fit while not holding them back.” As you can imagine, this came as a complete shock to us. We had just played a series of shows in Hartford and Peterborough the preceding week with no mention from Adam of any health issues or that this resignation letter was coming. We had no idea then that the December 15th Hartford show (which we played one day after the date of the doctor’s note attached to Adam’s lawyer’s letter) would be our final show with Adam as lead singer. After receiving Adam’s lawyer’s letter, Brad sent Adam a text offering to get together to make sure that Adam’s decision was in fact the decision he wanted to make, a final decision, and to talk through any issues. As Brad said, “It would suck to end a twenty year relationship through a lawyer.” Brad’s invitation was declined by Adam via a text stating, “My decision is 100%. My relationship with Three Days Grace is over.” We were then surprised to learn that even though we were told on December 21st that Adam was not able to tour with the band due to health concerns, he apparently planned on participating in a show on January 17 in New York City, as a solo artist. How would you feel if you were in our shoes? Someone you had known for 20 years, whom you had grown up with, gone through ups and downs with, shared dreams with, ends that relationship as if you had known him for a single day with a letter from a lawyer. With a new album and new tour about to begin, and music that everyone in the band is proud to play and promote, we were quickly left to come up with a way to continue what we started. We had a tour for “Transit of Venus” scheduled to start in a month, and we felt we owed it to our fans and ourselves to go through with it. As we have said before, our fans are the best. You have stood with us through good times and bad times and you are the reason we do what we do. We appreciate more than we can say in words the support we have received during this time. This is not about choosing sides or deciding who’s right or who’s wrong. This is about being honest with you. Adam has made his choice and we wish him well. We care about our band, and we care about honouring our commitments to you, the fans. Three Days Grace has never been about one single band member and it never will be. After touring is complete, we will move forward. In what shape and form, that is yet to be determined. What we can tell you is that and are excited to rock live and we can’t wait to see you all on the road. Given the new information from the band, now how would you vote in our recent Readers Poll about the Three Days Grace singer situation? Voice your opinion by clicking on the red button below: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/three-days-grace-singer-swap-readers-poll/” title=”Vote in the Three Days Grace Singer Swap Readers Poll” align=”center”]

Island Def Jam My Darkest Days announced over the weekend that their guitarist Sal Costa (pictured at far right above) had left the band , but the musician’s exit actually dates back several months. With the news now out, the guitarist talked about the specifics of the split and why it took so long to reveal with Noisecreep . Costa explained that he actually left the band in October, but the decision to announce his departure was put on hold until everyone felt they were ready to proceed. He added, “Leaving a band isn’t easy. There are relationships from both the band, fans and people who work for you that you have to give an explanation to. I really wanted to sort out everything before any public announcements were made.” The mohawked musician says that even though he had prepared to leave for some time, he stayed on to play shows because he felt he owed it to the fans who paid their money to see the lineup as it was. He also stated that the group was still trying to sort out how they wanted to continue and he felt it would be unprofessional to leave them in a bad situation. As for why left, he explained, “When I think of a band, I think of a group of artists sitting in front of the same canvas painting different parts of the same scenery. I had felt for a long while that I was painting a different scene on a different canvas altogether. We were just not on the same page on many fronts. However, that is okay. Everyone is entitled to their own journey. That is the beauty of life. How can I tell my fans to follow their heart and dreams and then not do the same for myself? That would be hypocritical for me to stay.” Though the band has yet to name a replacement, they have stated in recent days that work has begun on their third studio album. Costa, meanwhile, is currently on his honeymoon after marrying his longtime girlfriend, and has yet to reveal his next musical project. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/my-darkest-days-save-yourself-lyric-video-premiere/” title=”Next: Watch My Darkest Days’ ‘Save Yourself’ Lyric Video” align=”center”]

Karl Walter, Getty Images Winter may be upon us, but European festival organizers are already thinking ahead to summer and with it, the region’s booming concert season. After a five-year hiatus, Iron Maiden will headline the Graspop Metal Meeting 2013, which will take place in Dessel Belgium from June 28 through June 30. Maiden bassist Steven Harris commented on the gig and offered a little insight as to what fans can expect at the show, saying , “We know how popular the history of Maiden tours are with fans of all ages and we will be bringing with us the full production we had on tour in North America earlier this year. Thanks to modern technology, we’ve been able to update and improve on the original 1988 production for Maiden England. We will be bringing with us a huge new light show, stage set, various incarnations of Eddie, plenty of pyro and all kinds of other exciting stuff for the fans.” Judging from Harris’ comments, Maiden will be pulling out all the stops and are planning a massively entertaining show for fans at Graspop Metal Meeting. Harris offered even more detail about the band’s planned set list, saying, “We’ve also had a huge amount of fun with the set list as we got to play songs we’ve not played in a very long time like ‘Seventh Son,’ ‘The Prisoner’ and ‘Afraid to Shoot Strangers,’ as well as fan favorites like ‘The Trooper,” ‘Aces High,’ ‘The Clairvoyant,’ ‘The Number of the Beast,’ ‘Wasted Years’ and ‘Run to the Hills.’” He continued, “The opening leg of the tour was so enjoyable for the whole band, we’re really looking forward to taking this whole show to our fans around Europe and we’re especially happy to be coming back to headline Graspop, as it is a real metal festival and a place we always really love to play.” All those factors combined mean it’ll be a Maiden performance to remember. More info about Graspop Metal Meeting is here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/metallica-to-headline-rock-in-rio-2013/” title=”Iron Maiden to Co-Headline Rock in Rio” align=”center”] ?

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Slipknot / Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor has heard the question before, and he’s getting a little tired about those asking about Slipknot’s future . The vocalist tells Metal Sucks that he feels no matter how often he explains his stance on the band’s continuation, it’s not truly taken to heart. Taylor tells Metal Sucks, “It’s like the more we try to explain it, no one hears the answer. It’s like they’re waiting for the answer they want to hear. We go out of our way to make sure our fans know everything, but at the end of the day, the fans have got to trust us. The worse it gets, the more we want to push away — we’re still dealing with the fact that our brother is dead. It can get hectic when all that people want to know about is when we’re getting back together. Don’t they realize that we’re never, really, ever going to get back together? One of our founding members is gone. It’ll never be the same, y’know? People don’t understand it. I try not to be bitter and lash out, but it’s getting harder and harder. Brutal, man.” During his interview, Taylor weighed in on several other topics, including the controversial political commentaries of Megadeth ‘s Dave Mustaine . The singer says, “The thing that bothers me is no one should ever put a microphone in front of Dave Mustaine’s face unless he’s on stage. Every time he says something, I cringe. People have asked me — there was this big thing on Twitter where people we’re going, ‘Dave Mustaine makes me ashamed to be a metalhead,’ and I’m like, ‘Screw that! For every Mustaine, there’s a Hetfield . They’re his beliefs, let him talk s— all he wants, and don’t let him discourage you.’ Just because there’s one guy who doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about, doesn’t mean there aren’t twenty more who do know.” Taylor also revealed that he’s doing his best to stay healthy on the road, though his register seems to get lower as the years go on. When asked if he thought he was morphing into Pantera ‘s Phil Anselmo , Taylor explained, “Umm… not really, no. I can walk upright, so I’m fine. I think Phil has a lot more problems than a deep voice, let’s put it that way. But my voice has been the same timbre for 15 years, so I’m not worried. Plus, I don’t drink any more — I don’t smoke any less, but I don’t drink anymore, so I’m trying to stay as healthy as I can.” These days, you can hear Taylor and his low register fronting Stone Sour on their newly released, ‘ House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1 ‘ album. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/corey-taylor-says-slipknot-are-on-hiatus/” title=”Next: Corey Taylor Says Slipknot Are on Hiatus” align=”center”]

Facebook: I See Stars As promised, both I See Stars and their label Sumerian Records have issued official statements regarding the band’s ousting from the Falling in Reverse -led ‘The Thug in Me Is You’ tour . The news went public late Friday, with singer Ronnie Radke issuing a statement that he had the band removed from the tour. Radke stated that he had worked hard to maintain his sobriety and after learning of the group’s drug bust this summer shortly after the tour was announced, he attempted to get them removed from the bill. The singer stated that he was persuaded to give the band a second chance by their management, but that things were not working out on the tour with the band being late and unprofessional. I See Stars initially posted that the reasons given by Radke were far from the truth and that they would reveal the real truth in statements issued shortly. I See Stars’ statement reads as follows: ‘All it takes is a spark to ignite my bad intentions.’ – Ronnie Radke/Falling In Reverse Here is the truth: Months ago before “The Thug In Me Is You” tour started, a cop found marijuana in our van. We were arrested. As a result, Ronnie said we were kicked off the upcoming tour. All the shows on the tour were already on sale with our name being advertised, so we didn’t think it was fair to the fans or to ourselves to not be able to go play where people were expecting us. We offered Ronnie to play the shows for free so he could keep our pay every night of the entire tour as long as we could still keep our commitment to the fans, i.e. the people who are the reason any of this is even possible. Ronnie said OK and allowed us back on the tour but said that we would have to sign paperwork saying we would not tell anyone that we weren’t getting paid to be on the tour. The venues and the fans were both not allowed to know the truth, because Ronnie knew it would make him look really bad to the world. The fact that money changed Ronnie‘s mind about kicking us off the tour just goes to show his lack of integrity. If he was really that concerned or fundamentally against that we got caught with a little weed, then the extra cash in his pocket wouldn’t have changed his decision. Because Sumerian Records was willing to give us a serious amount of financial tour support, we were still able to hit the road without getting paid. However we would quickly find out that us agreeing to Ronnie‘s ridiculous terms of silence and playing for free were simply not good enough for him. He resulted to threatening violence against Zach in Grand Rapids because “he didn’t like his stupid f’n face” and then the next night in our hometown of Detroit kicked us off the tour. His 47-year old tour manager then physically assaulted our tour manager and the FIR camp once again resorted to violent behavior. Ronnie would later that night throw fans out who paid to get in to the show because they are chanting another band’s name and make fun of their physical attributes in front of everyone. That is the act of a true coward. We have been lucky enough to to tour with a lot of great bands like Parkway Drive, Suicide Silence, Asking Alexandria, Trivium, Motionless In White, A Day To Remember, Stick To Your Guns, Memphis May Fire, The Word Alive and others … and never had a problem. We want to thank Enter Shikari, LetLive, Matt Toka and all the other members of Falling In Reverse besides Ronnie for being great people and a true pleasure to tour with. We are sorry to all the fans out there who were expecting to see us. We’ll be back as soon as we can. – I See Stars In addition to the band, Sumerian Records offered their own statement on the tour troubles. Their statement read: There is nothing cool, rock & roll, punk rock, or admirable about treating your peers or fans like they are pieces of garbage. Ronnie Radke is not a good human being. It’s one thing to love someone’s music, but do not love someone as an individual for who they are not. We do not think it is a coincidence this is the same guy who was arrested for the horrible, violent things you can read about in the links below. He cares about no one but himself and he has reminded us all of this. His latest tweet “people at our shows come to see us everything else is irrelevant. Nuff said,” is his way of telling all the other bands he tours with that they don’t matter. Why any artist would throw that type of negativity and disrespect out is something we will never understand. This scene is supposed to be about compassion and understanding. Ronnie is rotten. Out of respect for the industry professionals involved in this debacle, we will not be publicly disclosing any legal documents on the Internet. We can confirm that Ronnie kicked the band off the tour but allowed them back on after they forfeited their pay. We can confirm that they were being forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement regarding this in order to stay on the tour. We can confirm that I See Stars were not kicked off yesterday in Detroit because of anything to do with drugs. It was because a grown man was throwing a temper tantrum who claims to be “rock & roll” but is actually worse than a neurotic pop-star diva with a God complex. Just because you no longer do drugs doesn’t mean you are no longer a horrible human being. Ronnie now abuses people instead of substances.” – Sumerian Records The statement concluded with links to Radke’s past transgressions with battery and domestic abuse , a racist joke he told on Twitter and his recent arrest for throwing microphone stands into the audience that injured fans at a show. After both I See Stars and Sumerian Records released their statements, Falling in Reverse’s Ronnie Radke followed with another one of his own. He stated (via Alter The Press ): Ladies and gentlemen, lend me your ears, why do we immediately assume that what we read on the Internet is the whole truth? Does it not make us guilty in ourselves to assume and accuse another for what you read? Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe some people make things up to get attention drawn to them for a moment of spotlight or fame? Maybe the person you are accusing and bashing hateful things towards and putting so much time and effort into something that you have no idea about much less should even care about is false? Would it be wrong of you to tell that person how terrible they are? For what? A moment of recognition by the one you “hate” so much? Before I ever assume something about someone I make sure I meet that person before I hate them. We all should be ashamed of ourselves. we are filthy creatures. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/falling-in-reverse-talk-warped-tour-workout-routine-travel-essentials-more/” title=”Next: Falling in Reverse Discuss Workout Routine + Travel Essentials” align=”center”]

Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com There will continue to be two Queensryche s, at least for the time being, as a Washington state judge ruled Friday (Oct. 19) in favor of Geoff Tate , allowing the singer to perform with his own version of the group after being ousted from his former band earlier this year. Billboard reports that Superior Court Judge Carol A. Schapira denied a motion for a partial summary judgment that had been filed by guitarist Michael Wilton, drummer Scott Rockenfield and bassist Eddie Jackson last month attempting to keep Tate from using the name. Jackson stated in a recent interview with Billboard that the announcement of a Tate-led Queensryche lineup that was planning to tour and record led to confusion amongst their fans. Earlier this year, Tate’s attempts to keep his former bandmates from touring under the Queensryche name, but with a different vocalist, were denied . However, at the time of the July ruling, Schapira stated that there was not enough information given that would keep her from letting Tate use the moniker as well. The members of Queensryche issued a statement to Billboard which read: Queensryche is disappointed in the denial of the motion to prevent our former vocalist from using our name, but we respect the court’s decision to do so. That said, we apologize for any confusion to our fans that a second entity sharing our name may cause. We look forward to seeing all of you on the road and bringing you new Queensryche music in the near future. Thank you all for your continued support, and for now we will just have to let the rocking do the talking. Tate has also filed suit for wrongful termination, while the band countersued claiming creative obstruction and violent behavior. Should the cases proceed to trial without a settlement, the court date is set for Nov. 18, 2013. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/geoff-tate-unveils-cover-art-track-listing-for-solo-album-kings-thieves/” title=”Next: Geoff Tate Reveals Solo Album Details” align=”center”]